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What is an Officiant, Randy Hen?

Well, believe it or not, sometimes the media gets it wrong. They sure did this time. I even went back to the reporter to reiterate that my name, Hamm, is spelt with two M's, but somehow it didn't register. So, here I am Randy Hen - officiant.

I wanted to clarify what an officiant is, as it is a question that I regularly get.

You have three choices when getting married.
1) Commissioner. You can go to a provincially sanctioned Commissioner (what is known on tv and movies as a Justice of the Peace). In Canada, they are called Commissioners and they do not do weddings at City Hall, but will come to your wedding venue and do a simple civil ceremony. You can find some reviews of them online.

2) Minister. You can approach any church and ask the pastor or priest to do your wedding. Each church is different in their qualifications for you to be married in their church or by their ministers, some being very open and others, not so much. I highly recommend that if you are connected with a faith community that you meet with a minister and ask how they do things. Many are willing to marry you wherever your venue is, not just in the church.

3) Officiant. Some might use the term Celebrant as well. Most Officiants are connected to a faith community and may even be ministers, but come to your wedding with a bit of a different understanding. As Officiants, we seek to customize your wedding to you; to tell your story and highlight what is special about your love. You can read what couples say about the Officiants at Young Hip and Married here!

Of course, even more than performing a fun, yet touching, totally customized wedding ceremony that represents you and fits with the rest of your wedding day, I love to coach couples as they take this step of commitment. A few sessions of relaxed personal relationship coaching go a long way for a more fulfilled, satisfying marriage! Check out coaching right here.

And yes, Randene Neill - it is a lot of fun!

(Here's a shot of me Officating on the steps of Robson Square!)

Such a joy to have Masruri and Anlly come back one year later for a vow renewal as they are about to have a baby!

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The Hamm Family

Bio

Randy and Hannah have been married since 1996 and have three amazing kids. After 19 years in Vancouver, they love their new home in Vernon, BC. They enjoy traveling, gardening, skiing, great stories and living life to the full.

As a family, they've survived road trips to NYC, California, and PEI, as well as a trip to China to work with disabled children. They know the importance of commitment and the hard work it takes to stay happily married in the midst of daily pressures.

Randy has been working with premarital and married couples for over 15 years. He is accredited with Enrich Canada as a facilitator and is ordained.

He has experience working with all types of couples in marriage preparation and marriage enrichment (i.e. cross cultural, second marriages, inter-faith, cohabitating).